Blackhawk Chapter member's '66 Cruiser up for grabs

[drpreposterous]

Hey, everyone....

Blackhawk Stude member Wayne Smida has moved into a skilled nursing facility following a fall. His '66 Cruiser is one of the last ones made. It was at his father's Nebraska dealership when said facility closed. Mr. Smida's dad's primary business was auto repair. He only sold a half dozen or so Studes a year. Here are some pix of the Cruiser:

[IMG]http://thumbnails103.********.com/28548/b1ee3b285476946.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://thumbnails104.********.com/28548/f061b4285476959.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://thumbnails106.********.com/28548/bca15c285476965.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://thumbnails103.********.com/28548/d4b360285476975.jpg[/IMG]

This one has the McKinnon 283 cu. in. V-8 and three-speed. Very basic: No overdrive, radio delete, manual brakes and steering. Pretty clean and well cared for, but it does have a minor amount of rust on the front fenders and one rocker. Another Blackhawk member who has driven told me it is in excellent shape. The asking price is $3,200. If anyone is interested, I can forward their interest to the guy who has durable power of attorney for Mr. Smida. I am not certain, as yet, whether this gentleman would want me to forward his contact info. So just PM me if you think this is your next townabout.

Brian

[BobPalma]

If he was selling new Studebakers at the rate of 6 per year by 1966, he probably would have got the President's Award for top sales.

I remember calling on this car when it was in the Blackhawk Chapter's Starliner. Someone must take some serious pictures on the underbody and rust-prone structural areas if they want to have a prayer of selling it. The photos are just too generic to illustrate a car from the rust belt. BP

[avantilover]

Will be interesting to learn how close to end of production it was. Hope it gets a nice home.

[Bill Pressler]

Will be interesting to learn how close to end of production it was. Hope it gets a nice home.

Other than it's a '66, I don't believe it's very close to the end of production, as all Studebakers built 1/1/66 and later had the chromed louvers above the taillights.

[8E45E]

Other than it's a '66, I don't believe it's very close to the end of production, as all Studebakers built 1/1/66 and later had the chromed louvers above the taillights.

Not to mention, that Mount Royal Red color was phased out in January of the year and replaced by the non-metallic Highlander Red.

Craig

[qsanford]

Although basically equipped, it does have reclining bucket seats! It must be Mount Royal Red but the color looks darker than normal. Nice car!

Hey, everyone....

Blackhawk Stude member Wayne Smida has moved into a skilled nursing facility following a fall. His '66 Cruiser is one of the last ones made. It was at his father's Nebraska dealership when said facility closed. Mr. Smida's dad's primary business was auto repair. He only sold a half dozen or so Studes a year. Here are some pix of the Cruiser:

[IMG]http://thumbnails103.********.com/28548/b1ee3b285476946.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://thumbnails104.********.com/28548/f061b4285476959.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://thumbnails106.********.com/28548/bca15c285476965.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://thumbnails103.********.com/28548/d4b360285476975.jpg[/IMG]

This one has the McKinnon 283 cu. in. V-8 and three-speed. Very basic: No overdrive, radio delete, manual brakes and steering. Pretty clean and well cared for, but it does have a minor amount of rust on the front fenders and one rocker. Another Blackhawk member who has driven told me it is in excellent shape. The asking price is $3,200. If anyone is interested, I can forward their interest to the guy who has durable power of attorney for Mr. Smida. I am not certain, as yet, whether this gentleman would want me to forward his contact info. So just PM me if you think this is your next townabout.

Brian

[PlainBrownR2]

I don't know how many of you that are still around know about him, but I've known him from the Blackhawk Chapter since we first joined the local and national clubs that was back around '92-'93. I was recalled him driving to the shows in that '66 Cruiser, so he's had it around a LONG time. He's been in the club for far longer than most of you newcomers either to the club or the forum. He's done alot for us as he was a very involved member around these parts. His father indeed did have a Studebaker dealership in Nebraska. That was Smida Garage. I know that, because we have a '55 and a '56 truck from him. The '56 was his Dad's dealer truck, which has a 224 V8 and a Detroit Gear automatic from the factory, which is apparently unheard of. He put heart and soul into selling the Studebaker brand, and always strived for getting the Studebaker name out in public, even giving vehicles away on the condition that the owner get them operable again. Not necessarily restored, but running and driving. He drove his vehicles whenever possible, and had a lot of Studebaker history when we knew him, as he retained much of the stuff from his Dad's Studebaker dealership. With that said, I hope it goes to somebody, anybody, who would keep his Cruiser going, as he'd want it like that!